London forum to focus on FRMCS migration for railways

A new conference in London on 18–19 May 2027 will bring railway operators, infrastructure managers and technology suppliers together to plan the shift from GSM-R to FRMCS. The forum is designed to focus on deployment readiness, interoperability, resilience and the practical work needed to support next-generation rail communications.

Why it matters: - FRMCS is becoming the communications backbone for digital rail operations, including mission-critical voice and data, ETCS connectivity, onboard systems and future connected or automated rail services. - The shift from GSM-R to FRMCS affects infrastructure managers, operators, rolling stock makers, telecoms providers and systems integrators across the rail sector. - The forum is intended to move the industry from specification and testing discussions into migration planning and deployment.

What happened: - FRMCS & The Connected Railway 2027 will take place in London on 18–19 May 2027. - The event is a new FRMCS conference focused on the transition from GSM-R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System. - The launch comes as the rail industry gathers at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin and turns more attention to implementation readiness. - The event is organized by Operational Risk Council, a Cyber Senate brand.

The details: - The two-day forum will bring together railway infrastructure managers, train operators, rolling stock manufacturers, telecoms providers, systems integrators, engineering specialists and technology companies. - The program will cover GSM-R to FRMCS migration strategies, FRMCS deployment, 5G railway communications, telecoms infrastructure, radio access and core networks, spectrum, onboard communications and connected rolling stock. - Sessions will also address interoperability and testing, ETCS integration, resilient and hybrid communications architectures, cybersecurity, operational continuity and technical assurance for live railway environments. - The conference will explore how greater communications capacity and more flexible digital connectivity can support enhanced train-to-ground data exchange, intelligent operations, automation and more autonomous railway systems. - The event is being positioned as a curated senior-level industry forum, not a broad rail exhibition. - Target participants include heads and directors of rail telecoms and communications, FRMCS and GSM-R programme leads, digital railway leaders, signalling and ERTMS specialists, rolling stock engineers, onboard systems specialists, radio and spectrum experts, infrastructure and systems integration leaders, technical authorities and programme directors. - Technology providers in 5G and private networks, RAN and core infrastructure, mission-critical communications, onboard equipment, antennas, gateways, network infrastructure, testing and measurement, systems integration, resilience and secure railway communications are also being invited. - Speaker, partnership and delegate enquiries are now open. - The event website is the conference website. - Operational Risk Council says the forum is part of its work on operational, technological and resilience challenges affecting critical infrastructure and transportation. - Cyber Senate also produces the Rail Cybersecurity Summit, which returns to London for its 13th annual edition on 9–10 March 2027.

Between the lines: - The conference is aimed at the hard part of the FRMCS transition: how to integrate new rail communications across legacy systems, live operations and mixed vendor environments. - The emphasis on interoperability, resilience and operational continuity suggests the industry sees communications modernization as both a technology upgrade and a safety-critical migration. - The timing also signals that FRMCS discussion is moving from standards work toward procurement and rollout planning.

What's next: - The organizers are engaging with UK and European infrastructure managers, rail operators, industry bodies, FRMCS programme leaders, OEMs and specialist technology companies. - Further speaker, partnership and delegate announcements are expected as the inaugural event takes shape. - The May 2027 forum will likely serve as a planning checkpoint for rail organizations preparing GSM-R migration roadmaps.

The bottom line: - FRMCS & The Connected Railway 2027 is being positioned as a practical working forum for the rail sector’s next major communications transition.